As is well known to those skilled in the art, conventional electrical power generation facilities in many instances utilize fuel oil or natural gas as the source of energy for generating electrical power. In the past these fuels, which possess properties that make them particularly suitable for supplying increased electrical power during peak demand periods, were relatively inexpensive and in plentiful supply. Unfortunately, the high cost of petroleum crude oil and natural gas, and the uncertainty of our sources of these fuels, now necessitates that different energy sources be explored and new techniques for effective utilization of both old and new sources of energy be developed.
Coal, which is in great supply and is relatively inexpensive, is among the materials suggested by the art as a source of energy for the generation of electrical power. Coal has the capacity to be gasified and used to drive gas turbines which can be implemented for the production of electrical power. In operation, the gas turbines develop low levels of waste heat which, under conventional techniques, has been rejected to the atmosphere or in part recovered by generating steam for additional power regeneration. Unfortunately, the techniques for the gasification of coal for the generation of electrical power have not been entirely satisfactory, due in part to the relative inability of these techniques to vary electrical power output to follow the system load demands and supply increased electrical power at peak demand periods.